MDACTO urges compensation for Mapithel dam-hit villagers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 10 2018: Mapithel Dam Affected Chingtam Organisation (MDACTO) has urged the State Government to disburse compensation to the affected villagers of Mapithel dam/Thoubal Dam Multipurpose Project before the proposed inauguration of the said dam on March 16 of this year.

Addressing a press meet held today at Nongdam Tangkhul village, Imphal East, MDACTO spokesperson Careson Sara regretted that the Government keeps on delaying in giving out compensation to the affected villagers despite repeated assurances given to the villagers of Nongdam Tangkhul that compensation for the land that were hit by the construction of the dam will be given.

He recounted that altogether 120 households of Nongdam Tangkhul village were displaced around 1991 due to the construction of the earth dam of Thoubal Multipurpose Project.

MDACTO urges compensation for Mapithel dam-hit villagers

He went on to claim that IFCD officials conducted a survey of the villagers of Nongdam Tangkhul and identified 126 households residing in the village.

The villagers were then made to shift their houses to the present location by paying only Rs 3000 for each household.

At that time, the IFCD officials promised the displaced villagers to pay further compensation but the promise has not been translated into action till today, he rued.

Moreover, in 1995 when the earth dam was breached, the IFCD officials again approached to the villagers to take earth from the village to fill in the earth dam with another promise of constructing inter-village circular roads in the village.

The villagers paid heed to the promise and allow to fill the earth dam, he said.

He contended that the tall promise later turned out to be false leaving the villagers fuming.

He mentioned that the Government cut off the livelihood of the Tangkhul Nongdam villagers by ruining the place where they used to collect sands for selling besides destroying their fishing location and displacing them.

He demanded the Government to compensate for their losses and address their grievances before the proposed inauguration of the dam.

MDACTO general secretary T Somorjit said that the organisation would continue to fight for the rights of the villagers affected by the dam until and unless justice is delivered by paying compensation for the huge losses.

He further informed that the incumbent Government has been giving positive responses to the demand served by the organisation.

Welcoming the step taken up by the Government to inaugurate the dam on March 16 of this year, he asked the Government to pay compensation to the affected villagers so that the dam could be inaugurated without any untoward incident.